Archive for the Category »Chautauqua County «

Feb
04

Celebrate the Snowflake Festival in Jamestown NY

This Saturday, February 5, 2011, is the return of the Snowflake Festival at the Audubon Center and Sanctuary. Located near the border of New York and Pennsylvania the Audubon captures the heart of soul of nature.

The Snowflake festival offers activities and demonstrations, indoors and out. It is set up as a family event and everyone will find an activity that will interest him or her.

The day’s activities include
· 10 am-2 pm: Face Painting
· 11 am: Snowshoe Hikes (snowshoes provided) begin and continue all day
· 11 am-3:30 pm: Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides
· 11:30 am: Birds of Prey (hawks and owls) presentation by Paul Fehringer, wildlife rehabilitator and founder of Wild Spirit Rehab and Release Center, followed by a meet-and-greet
· 1 pm: Owl Ecology presentation by Paul Fehringer, followed by a meet-and-greet
· 2:30 pm: Feeder Bird presentation by Audubon Program Director Jennifer Schlick
· 12, 1, 2, 3 and 4 pm: Kick sled Demonstrations outdoors by Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue
· Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Warren County will be giving a demonstration on starting seeds and answering any of your questions. The Warren Master Gardeners are also accepting applications for their upcoming class, which will begin March 3, 2011.

Door prizes, the raffle of a beautiful quilt handmade by Martha Danielson, including a Chinese auction and the raffle of a handmade quilt made by Martha Danielson will add to the festivity.

And as always Chili, hot dogs, sausages, brownies, kettle corn, hot chocolate and Stedman Corners coffee will be among the treats available.
This is the perfect time if you are new to the center to visit the Nature Store and view the selection of hand crafted items, bird seed, edible treats, and more.

Admission to the Snowflake Festival is $5 for adults and children under 12 are free. Sleigh rides are $5 for ages 13 and over and $2 for 5-12 year olds; $5 covers materials for building a bluebird house.

The Audubon Center and Sanctuary is at 1600 Riverside Road, off Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. Winter hours are 10 am-4:30 pm Mondays and Saturdays, and 1-4:30 pm Sundays. The trails and Bald Eagle viewing are open dawn to dusk daily. For more information, call (716) 569-2345 or visit jamestownaudubon.org.

Update: Each year the Jamestown Audubon holds its Snowflake Festival.  Traditionally its the first weekend in February.


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Jul
04

Mayville New York Fireworks shine on Chautauqua Lake

Fireworks over Chautauqua Lake have been a tradition for many families for years.

The following you tube has captured the fireworks that took place in Mayville, which is county seat of Chautauqua County. This was from 2009.

In the video you can see a small section of red on the left hand side of the image. This is part of the traditional” lighting of the flares.” Flares are lit around the entire beachfront of the lake. No small task, but its taken place for many years. The eerie red light from the flares adds a beauty and mystery to the night.

My only experience of fireworks on Chautauqua Lake were at the Chautauqua Institution. I could barely see the fireworks from mayville but the red light of the flares along the lake and the sounds of music floating down to the lake shore were an image that I will remember for a long time.


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Jun
24

Lily Dale 2010 daily schedule

Lily Dale was established in 1879 and is considered to be the largest center for spiritual development and the practice Spiritualistic religion. The community is open during the summer offering a full schedule of activities.

The intersection of Spiritualist St and Mediumship Way
Creative Commons License photo credit: WIlly Volk

The 131st season opened June 25, 2010 and will close August 29, 2010. And although the summer season closes in late August the community is open all year round. It just operates at a quite pace without a gate fee and planned activities. For further information on off-season activities check the Lily Dale off-season link.

The lily Dale summer programs include lectures, workshops and other activities featuring best-selling authors.  Leaders in academic and scientific research into psychic phenomena, as well as the world’s most powerful mediums, teachers and healers participate in the programs and activities offered.

Lily Dales Daily Summer schedule for June 25, 2010 – August 29, 2010

8:30 am Meditation Service in the Healing Temple
 10:00 am Healing Service in the Healing Temple Saturday only
10:30 am Healing Service in the Healing Temple Monday – Friday only
11:30 am Video Presentation in the Library
Noon Healing Service in the Healing Temple Sunday only
1:00 pm *Message Service at Inspiration Stump
2:30 pm Guest Speaker and Clairvoyant in the Auditorium
4:00 pm *Message Service at Forest Temple Monday – Saturday
5:30 pm *Message Service at Inspiration Stump
7:00 pm Healing Service in the Healing Temple

* In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held in the Auditorium.

There are also weekly events scheduled. Further information can be found at the Lily Dale home page.

One other attraction of Lily Dale is the beautiful architecture and winding paths and gardens on the grounds. Cassadage Lake also lines one section of the grounds.

Whether you visit Lily Dale for spiritual reasons or to enjoy the scenery and businesses located on the grounds it’s day that you will remember.


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Apr
27

Vintage photographs of Jamestown NY

Vintage photographs of Jamestown, New York capture the history, manufacturing and architecture of the city. At the time of these images the population was near 25,000 people.

These images are from an old souvenir pamphlet handed out for the community. The pamphlet was not dated but the images show a town that I do not remember. Many of the images have the old trolley cars still running the streets.

Photographic Images pictured

The Erie Railroad depot is pictured on the bottom. The building was elegant and the station handled many trips during the day. The importance of the railroad for manufacturing and shipping lead to the vast variety of products produced in the area. At the time this pamphlet was assembled the Erie railroad was the only truck line direct to Jamestown and Chautauqua. The railroad also had a direct line the Buffalo and Niagara falls.

The railroad had Pullman parlor cars and the train roadbed was made of stone ballast, which made the rail line relatively free from dust.

The image on the right is the City Hall and the photo on the left is the Office of the American Aristotype Company.

Jamestown was one of the larger cities in Chautauqua County and its industry shaped the history and culture of the city and surrounding towns and villages.


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Mar
09

Maple Syrup Weekend in Chautauqua County

Maple Syrup weekend in Chautauqua County will be the weekend of March 20 and 21, 2010 and March 27 and 28.

DSC_0020
Creative Commons License photo credit: Putneypics

Maple syrup buckets hanging from trees have become a sign of spring in the Chautauqua County area and nearby counties. Collecting maple syrup has been a tradition passed down through generations and taught to the American settlers by the American Indians.

Growing up in this area my family would tap the male trees on out property. After school we would collect the sap from the buckets and store it in milk can until we had a free night from after school activities or the weekend.

The sap would be boiled outside until it was quite thick and brought in the house for the final cooking.

Unfortunately one year the canvas tent caught on fire that covered our boiling pan. That was a little inconvenient and added stories that would be told in later years. But the really big event was the night my brother and a few friends decided to boil sap all night long.

Of course they fell asleep and the boiling pan was ruined. Now, that was not a funny story as the pan was expensive to replace. Maple syrup was produced by the family for several more years until we grew up and moved onto other projects.

Fresh maple syrup is wonderful in the spring and once in a while we would make maple butter or maple candy. It became a symbol of spring and we would look forward to the season – even if it was a lot of work.

If you live in the Chautauqua County area and would like to check out Maple Weekend check out the site for more information. You will be able to watch sap being boiled and various other stages of maple syrup production.


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